What’s Better For Your Photo Editing Process- HDR or Exposure Blending?
High Dynamic Range Blending Vs. Multiple Exposure Blending- Your Photo Editing Choices Compared & Explained
Does your camera see what you do? Can you recreate that exact vision through a photograph?
Yes!
Well, maybe not exactly, but pretty closely, thanks to HDR photo blending.
What Is HDR Photography?
Taking multiple bracketed photos and combining them using software tools to create a single, better picture.
HDR photography has been transformational; the perfect tool to overcome the shortcomings of a camera lens. The ‘HDR look’ has become synonymous with lifelike, realistic photography.
But, HDR photo editing is all about balance.
That balance, or rather the uncertainty surrounding it, leads us to the confusion between HDR and multiple exposure blending. Both techniques are sound, suggested, and smart. So, which one do you choose for your project?
Let’s talk about the right way to find that answer.
HDR Blending Vs Exposure Blending
A Little About Photo Editing & HDR
Photo editing: changing parts of a photo to make it better and more beautiful.
What might have started as an attempt to overcome the flaws in cameras of the past is now a globally thriving industry.
If you are into photography for a living, you would know what professional photo editing services are, what they do, and how expanded of a business domain they are.
The US photography industry is worth $11.5 billion in 2022
That figure is expected to increase by another 0.6% in 2022
The global photography industry could cross $149.98 billion by 2026
22% of eCommerce orders are returned because of poor product photos
Nearly 75% of online shoppers use photos to establish product reliability
There’s a saying about creative sciences- There is no right or wrong in art. It is all about the artist’s vision, rendition, and imagination.
Where Does HDR Photo Editing Come In?
Often in photography, creating an approximate representation takes more than a camera and a 50mm or 35 mm lens. It takes post-processing, where multiple shadows of the same scene are stitched and merged and enhanced and subdued to create what the artist wants everyone to witness.
HDR photo editing is an easier way to achieve that objective.
What Is HDR Editing?
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.
Dynamic range is the difference between the lightest and darkest points in any frame. If the dynamic range of your camera is lower than that of the scene you are shooting, one out of two things happen.
- The highlights fade into a whitish hue and become gradually fuzzy and unclear
- The dark parts of the photo turn into one unified region of darkness
Fixing these two issues involves accumulating enough dynamic range in a single photograph. We do that with the help of HDR photo blending.
So, HDR Is Different From Exposure Blending, Right?
Yes. But not in the way you think!
The common misconception is that HDR blending and exposure blending are two very different, rather contrasting concepts. And, hence, one must be better than the other.
In fact, what we commonly identify as HDR blending is tonal mapping.
Both, tonal mapping and exposure blending are techniques used for HDR photo editing.
So, the real comparison is between them.
What Is Bad HDR?
The ‘HDR look’ is an infamous concept related to overprocessed, mostly automatic HDR blending. It is characterized by over-saturation, high contrast, unnecessary halos, and a hyperreal sense in any image.
It is also what a lousy HDR looks like.
1. HDR Photo Editing Via Tone Mapping
The concept of tone mapping can be found in the foundations of most image adjustment techniques.
In HDR, tonal mapping essentially means blending different photos while adjusting their dynamic range to create a better, more realistic outcome.
Most of the automatic HDR processing software we see use tone mapping in their algorithm. The input is a set of bracketed images. The outcome is one single image, created with a higher dynamic range and better pixel clarity. That outcome is then tone-mapped to make the final photo viewable in high-quality on a standard device.
Advantages of HDR Photo Editing
- HDR blending creates quick results.
- The process is simple and straightforward.
- The HDR workflow is relatively easier with powerful software support (think Lightroom.)
- As long as you avoid the ‘HDR look’, this process can yield exceptional results.
- It is a perfect tool for budget-friendly photo editing.
Disadvantages of HDR Photo Editing
- Automatic exposure blending and tonal mapping can create an oversaturated outcome.
- You may often find halos around the areas where contrast differences exist, like the edge of objects.
- HDR photo editing needs RAW images.
- Skin colors can easily morph into sickly tones with HDR images.
The Verdict on HDR Photo Editing
To sum it up, it is very easy to go wrong with automatic HDR tone mapping and photo blending.
If you don’t understand the process, don’t know the basics of how HDR works, and are oblivious to the technicality of manual adjustments, HDR can turn out to be a bad decision for you.
Take it from a professional photo editing services provider!
That, however, is not to say that you should never choose or use HDR.
There are circumstances, i.e., use cases, where HDR photo blending services work like magic. These include the following:
- Vast landscapes
- Mountain ranges
- Tree lines
- Long exposure shots
- Street photography
- Still sport photography
2. HDR Photo Editing Via Manual Multiple Exposure Blending
Have you ever come across the doubt- How do you hand blend HDR?
If you have, the answer is Multiple Exposure Blending.
Which brings us to another question-What is exposure blending in photography? Well, for starters, the basics are the same as any HDR blending. Only the methods vary.
Multiple Exposure Blending is an HDR photo editing technique wherein a set of bracketed images are merged via Photoshop.
We load the photos as layers, create masks by opacity to save the portions that are to be highlighted, and use brushes to meld and adjust and clean the edges, thus creating the final outcome.
Advantages of Multiple Exposure Blending
- By choosing a base exposure to refine the focus in the image, Exposure Blending allows the elimination of object ghosting.
- The results are realistic and natural looking.
- Editors get finer control over different photo elements.
- Manual exposure also protects the original color value of the photo.
- There are no issues of halos forming around the edges when working with Exposure Blending.
- There is minimal noise in the output image and close to no sharpness issues.
- Exposure Blending also allows editing on a single RAW file. It is done via double and triple processing.
Disadvantages of Multiple Exposure Blending
- A good enough understanding of photo layers and dynamic range
- Fine Photoshop skills
- Exposure Blending takes more time, effort, and concentration than normal HDR blending.
- Different types of photographs, and hence different types of blends, can be difficult to achieve.
- The size of the output may be significant and unusable across all channels unless compressed.
The Verdict on Multiple Exposure Blending
One of the reasons why Exposure Blending is preferred by professional HDR photo blending services is the control it offers.
You have a wide range of choices in this case. From the part of photos that you want to blend to the degree of blending you wish to do, Exposure Blending gives you that freedom and ease.
Plus, once you have done it enough times, it opens your mind to the possibilities of manual editing in Photoshop.
Here are a few instances where Multiple Exposure Blending can do wonders for your shots.
- Images with distinctly different backgrounds
- Long-exposures with light trails
- Photos taken with a small aperture and short depth of field
- Flat photos with multiple exposures
So, The Final Word- HDR or Exposure Blending?
Remember the part about no wrong answers?
This is one of such circumstances where you will be choosing either HDR Blending or Exposure blending based entirely on what you have set out to accomplish.
You are a destination wedding photographer with hundreds of shots in a folder and very little time to create some stunning blends? Go with HDR for shots without people. Go with manual Exposure Blending for that with people. Test the techniques. Or, simply hire a photo editing services provider to manually blend every photo for you.
Do what suits the type of photos you have taken, the time you have to deliver results, and the vision you want to go with.
